Cinematic Healing
by Katta
Summary: Maia needs to recover from a demon wound, and while doing so, she watches four different films with four different friends.


A/N: Thanks to flywithturtles for the prompt, margueritelareine for the beta, and shadowhuntersbetas tumblr com for sending her my way!

* * *

 **Prologue**

Being in wolf form had its advantages: teeth, claws, a thick fur protecting you against anything that tried to bite and claw you right back. But there was only so much use all of that could be against a swarm of Elapid demons. Their scaly bodies were hard to pierce through, and when Maia managed to bite off one of the skittering legs, the ichor burned inside her mouth. She spat the leg out and shook her head to rid herself of the pain. Okay, not trying that tactic again.

Several long legs swiped at her at once, and the claws protruded into her skin, shredding through her flesh. She howled, and pounced at the creature's neck with both front paws, trying to rip the scales right off so she could get to the throat below.

More howls echoed behind her – the rest of the pack was fighting their way through. She spotted Luke on one side, trying to shake off three demons that were encroaching on him, and glimpsed Alaric further off.

There were noticeably fewer demons than before, though. The pack were making a dent in the swarm, but so slowly she wasn't sure she'd be able to last until the end. Black spots swam in her vision, and her attacks were wild, uncoordinated, doing anything she could to keep those venom-dripping fangs away from her.

Then, suddenly, the onslaught stopped. Maia bit through the neck of a demon, burning sensation be damned, and fell to the ground, grateful to be left alone.

A muzzle poked at her face, and she tried to wiggle her tail in response but was much too tired. Seconds later, something caressed her side. A hand. A human hand, which meant the pack had started shifting back, which meant she could too. With a shudder, she let go of the wolf shape, and whimpered when the pain hit her all over again.

"Ow," she moaned indistinctly around the burn in her mouth.

"Shh," Luke said, stroking her arm calmly as if she were still a wolf. "You're going to be fine. We're taking you home. Okay?"

She nodded. Home sounded good. Home was exactly what she wanted right now.

Her eyes drifted shut.

* * *

 **Love and Peace**

The wounds were deep, ugly and painful but not actually life-threatening. They just made Maia feel like she'd been hit by a double-dose of the flu, was as weak as a kitten and in no way inclined to protest when Luke brought her back to her tiny apartment and tended to her wounds. Having bandaged most of her torso up like a mummy, he wrapped her in blankets on the bed, and sternly told her to get some rest and drink plenty of fluids.

He returned an hour later to find her cocooned in front of a movie on the computer, fondling a bucket of ice cream.

"I'm not sure ice cream counts as fluids," he said.

"Well, it's melting," she said, looking down into the bucket. "Soon it will. Do you want some? It's maple walnut."

"I think I'll pass. You know, you could have just taken a bowl."

"Mm, but this is so nice and cool against my skin." And her mouth too. She took another spoonful and felt it soothe the sore spots where the demon blood had burned her.

"Just leave a layer of clothing between it and you, and don't get your bandages wet." He came up to her and put a hand against her forehead, like she was a five-year-old kid and he was her dad. Somehow, she liked it. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said. "A bit stupid, having you worried like this."

"I don't mind." He sat down next to her and frowned at the computer screen. "What are those creepy looking toys?"

"They're just toys," she said. "They've been abandoned and that guy's taking care of them. The turtle's a pet. His name is Pikadon. He got flushed down the toilet by mistake."

"So it's a children's movie?"

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe. It's a Japanese movie, they tend to be kind of..." She gestured vaguely.

"Weird?" he suggested.

"In a good way."

"Hm. Well, I need to change your bandages, so just pause it for a minute, will you?"

She did, and then, when the wounds was cleaned and the bandages changed and Luke sitting next to her on the bed once again, hit play.

Pikadon the turtle was now starting to fulfil its former owner's wishes, growing ever larger in size for each wish.

"This is a really bizarre idea for a plot," Luke said, though he moved in closer to get a better view of the screen.

Maia laughed, which pulled at her wounds in an uncomfortable but completely worth it way. "It's cute, though. Anyway, it's not any more bizarre than our freaking lives, is it?"

"I'll let you know when the giant wish-fulfilling monster turtle shows up."

"Kaiju," she corrected. "Kaiju turtle. And he's adorable, look at him!"

Luke grimaced. "Well, if I find one, I'll give it to you as a pet, how about that?"

"That's all I ever wanted."

Watching the movie together like this was nice, but the wound must be affecting her more than she thought, because when the old drunk proved to be Santa Claus, finding new homes for all the lost toys and animals, she felt her eyes welling up.

" _This time it'll work out,"_ Santa Claus promised, and the tears fell down Maia's cheeks.

"God, I'm so sappy," she complained, and Luke pulled her into a hug, wiping at her wet cheeks with the back of his hand.

They watched in silence as Pikadon, now the size of a house, tore down several buildings to reunite with its office-clerk-turned-rock-star owner. When Pikadon disappeared in a cloud of lights, Luke gave a displeased growl.

"Did they just kill the turtle?"

"Just keep watching," Maia said softly.

"They didn't kill the turtle, right?"

She laughed. "I'm not telling you how the movie ends."

A few minutes later, Pikadon, returned to its original size, crawled in through its owner's window, and Luke sighed in relief.

"That's more like it."

As the credits rolled, he got up and gave Maia a pat on the shoulder. "I'm going over to the Jade Wolf for some takeout. You think you're up to solid food? Cashew chicken, maybe?"

"Cashew chicken sounds divine," she said. "Thanks."

He went to get his jacket, humming to himself, "Love and Peace, da dada, dada dada da..."

Maia grinned. She had Luke Garroway, badass leader of the wolf pack, humming sentimental pop ballads. That was well worth a couple of demon scratches.

* * *

 **What We Do in the Shadows**

Simon showed up so soon after sunset Maia figured he must have run all the way. His clothes looked a bit wrinkled, but then, that was standard for Simon's clothes, and being a vampire, it wasn't as if he ever got sweaty or out of breath.

Luke showed him in and said, "If you're staying here for a while, I should get back to work. Call me if you need anything, all right?"

Maia saluted. "Yes, sir, will do. Thanks again!"

"Any time." He turned to Simon. "You look out for her now."

"Absolutely," Simon said. After the door closed behind Luke, he turned to Maia and asked, "Are you okay? I heard about the demon attack, and there wasn't anything I could do about it, because it was the middle of the day and not even overcast, and they told me you hadn't been hurt that bad, except that you were still in bed, and that sounded plenty bad to me so I wanted to see with my own eyes, just in case, but I had to wait until sunset and I've been climbing the walls here, because I know we're just friends now, but friends are kind of important to me, and I really wanted to make sure you were all right, so, are you?"

Maia stared at him, trying not to laugh. "You know, breathing's a nice exercise for punctuation, even if you don't need it for oxygen," she pointed out. "Relax, I'm fine. Just tired. Been cooped up here, eating Luke's food, sleeping, watching movies."

"Anything good?"

"Good, bad, everything in between. Want to stay and watch some?"

"Sure!" He plopped down next to her. "What do you have in mind? Something new, or a classic? _Star Wars_ is always a safe bet."

"How about a vampire movie?"

"Are you trying to torture me?"

"A little bit, maybe," she admitted.

He grimaced. "Please, not _Twilight_."

"Trying to torture _you_ , not me." She pulled the computer close and tried to think of alternatives. "There are always the classics: _Dracula_ , _Nosferatu_ , _Lost Boys_... or we could combine the whole shebang and go for _What We Do in the Shadows_."

"What's that one about?"

"You've never seen _What We Do in the Shadows_? Okay, that settles it, we're definitely watching it!"

Simon sighed. "All right, if I have to."

But he did enjoy it, she could tell. Even when he complained, "This is so degrading!" he was still laughing at the bloody dishes in the sink.

"Do you wash your bloody dishes?" she asked in a singsong voice.

"I have a thermos," he pointed out. "And – yes! I wash it! Do you have any idea how disgusting the taste of old stale blood is? It's worse than week-old coffee, let me tell you."

"When did you drink week-old coffee?"

"Oh no, I plead the fifth on that one."

"You're dead. You don't have constitutional rights."

"That's harsh, Roberts, that's really harsh." He still didn't answer the question, and she didn't push him.

When the new guy, Nick, got turned into a vampire, Simon got quiet and still, and Maia wondered if perhaps this had been a bad choice of movie after all, if the pain was too raw.

Simon might have seen the way she glanced over at him, because he admitted, with a shaky smile, "I feel for that guy."

"You _are_ that guy," she said, mouth bypassing her brain.

"Yeah?" He wrinkled his nose. "Not very cool, though, is he?"

"Cool is overrated."

"I guess you're right. I mean, look at Deacon, the guy's a literal Nazi."

"Right? And Vladislav's just a dick."

"Viago's okay, though."

"You could totally be Viago," she encouraged him. "With some experience. And a few more cravats."

That brought his smile back with more strength.

Now they were moving into the section with the werewolves, and she figured she owed it to Simon to let him bask in every single joke made at their expense.

"So," he asked, "do you _actually_ sniff each other's..."

Okay, nearly every joke. "Simon," she warned, and he laughed.

"Next time you curse, I'm calling you a swearwolf."

"I don't curse."

"Oh, yeah?" He pinched her toe, hard, and she yanked her foot away, which sent a jolt of pain through her side.

"Fuck!"

"Swearwolf!" Seeing her expression, he grew instantly serious and put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I'm fine. Just a little out of breath." She gave him the stinkeye. "You asshole."

"Swearwolf," he said softly, and she wished _so hard_ that Clary Fray didn't exist so she could kiss him right then and there.

But she knew better than to involve herself with a guy who was hung up on someone else, and so she sat back, watching the rest of the movie with a foot and a half between her body and his.

When they saw Viago reunited with his aging lady love that he'd now turned into a vampire, Simon said, "You know, I've never actually seen that before. A vampire with an old woman."

"Would you do it?" Maia asked.

"What, now? I'm not even 19 yet. That'd be weird."

"No, but... when you're like a hundred. Would you do it?"

"I don't know." He frowned. "I wouldn't want to turn anyone, I don't think. But if she was already a vampire, I guess maybe. We'd have some common frames of reference, right? And if it was someone I'd already loved my whole life..."

His gaze was far away. Back with Clary again, Maia supposed, and she was starting to regret ever saying anything.

"It's weird to imagine," he said. "That I'm going to get that old, and never change. Older. That I'll still be here, after all of you are dead and gone."

"You don't know that," she said, trying to shake the shudder she felt. "For all you know, you could be staked tomorrow, and in fifty years somebody discovers a way to upload human brains into computers. Then I'll have a sweet new robot body, and you'll be dust."

"That's a silver lining, I suppose." He smiled a little. "If you do get a robot body, and I'm not staked, we could still be friends in a hundred years time. And we could meet and watch movies."

"If they have movies."

"Holograms, then. Or hallucinatory mushroom flicks, or whatever they have then."

"Absolutely. Let's make a deal. In a hundred years, exactly, we meet up here, and watch... something."

"I'll be there," he said. "Come hell or high water."

She had a feeling he meant it. And it may not be what she wanted from him, but it was still quite something.

* * *

 **Chastity Bites**

Maia was getting used to her friends, and Luke's, taking turn to watch over her, but it was still a surprise when the person letting herself in with the spare key turned out to be Isabelle Lightwood.

"Hey!" Isabelle said, adjusting a bag of groceries on her hip. "I'm on nurse duty today, hope you don't mind. How are you feeling?"

Truth was, Maia was feeling like shit. She was sticky with sweat, her wounds ached, and her head was spinning, but all she said was, "Okay, I guess."

"Well, I've got just the thing." Isabelle rummaged about in the bag and took out a tub of ice cream. "Tadaa! I meant to get Rocky Road, but Luke told me you liked maple walnut better."

"Yeah. I can't have chocolate anymore."

"Oh, that makes sense! 'Cause of the dog thing." Isabelle paused. "Not that you're a dog. Quite the opposite. Usually."

Maia groaned and rubbed at her grainy eyes with the sleeve of her pyjamas. She was well aware of how she looked at the moment, especially in comparison to Isabelle's tight fitting clothes and impeccable make-up.

"Yeah, it's probably got something to do with that," she said.

Isabelle ducked into the kitchenette and came back with a spoon, which she dug into the tub of ice cream before handing it to Maia.

"There you go. You need anything else?"

"Water?" Maia asked. What she really wanted was not to be alone, to have someone who'd keep her warm and take care of her. She'd never had an easy relationship with her mom, but somehow that was still who she wanted. And that was an awful lot to ask of a girl she barely knew. "Actually... Could you stay and watch a movie with me?"

"Sure. But in that case, I want some of that ice cream. Unless you're contagious?"

"Yeah. I'll be spreading deep cuts all over your body."

"Ew." Isabelle grinned. "Okay, stupid question."

She went back into the kitchen for a glass of water and another spoon, and then went up to the DVD collection, looking it through. "So is there anything in particular you want?"

Maia shook her head, taking a sip of the water. "I've got more than those, though. On my computer, and burned CDs."

"Oh, I've seen this one! _Halloween_. So moralistic, sex and booze means instant death. Yuck."

"Yeah, that's pretty standard for that type of horror movie," Maia admitted.

"Don't you have anything that's the opposite? Where a girl can fuck around _and_ fight serial killers?"

"Actually, I do. _Chastity Bites_ , pink cover, scary looking brunette."

Isabelle ran a finger across the shelf. "Got it! 'The new teacher is smart, sexy, and out for blood.' Sounds promising."

"Don't read the back. It's more fun if you don't."

"More fun for you, or for me?"

"I was thinking me, but you too."

Getting the DVD into the computer took more tries than usual, but Maia eventually got it in, and they started watching.

Isabelle took off her shoes in order to get her feet cuddled up under her, and Maia noticed that the toenails were just a little bit too long, with iridescent nail polish that had started to scuff off. It was the first thing about her appearance that seemed ordinary, and maybe Maia was petty to feel that way, but it did make her more favourably inclined towards the shadowhunter.

"Okay," Isabelle said when the mean girl gang showed up. "So all the fashionable girls are evil? I thought you said this was the opposite."

"In terms of sex, it's the opposite. Not so much the rest. Sorry. I'd forgotten about this part. Do you want to try something else?"

"No, I'll watch this."

It was always nerve-wrecking when you watched a beloved film with someone who didn't seem to like it. From time to time, Maia snuck glances at Isabelle's face, which remained critical until Liz Batho's appearance at the school, where she snorted with laughter.

"The abstinence group is called VAG? Subtle."

"Yeah, it's a very subtle film, I'm sure you can tell," Maia replied, relaxing a little now that Isabelle seemed to get in the mood of things.

"So she's gonna bathe in their blood, right? And only the sluts will survive. I like it."

Maia grinned back at her. "I hoped you would."

After that, Isabelle got much more into things, and cackled out loud as Paul and Leah started flirting. "Using pick-up lines from Simone de Beauvoir. Smooth."

"You've read _The Second Sex_?" Maia said, echoing Leah's line from the film with just as much shock in her voice.

"What, I can't be beautiful _and_ smart? Not everything's like the movies, you know."

"Yeah, but..." There wasn't really any way to end that sentence that wasn't an insult, and so Maia figured that the best option was to go for honesty. "I just figured, shadowhunters. Training all day."

"We got a comprehensive education," Isabelle said, scowling, though there was still a smile tugging at her lips. "Mundane philosophy included. We got to choose one philosopher to write a report about., and then read each other's. I figured, with a discipline that testosterone-heavy, gotta bring in the female perspective."

"So your brothers read your report?"

"And I read theirs. Alec chose Kant. Said he seemed sensible. Boring, is what I call it. And Jace went with Nietzsche."

"Ah," Maia said. "The asshole option. Why am I not surprised?"

"Actually, he came to the same conclusion, pretty much."

That stunned Maia into silence. A Jace Wayland who detested Nietzsche and an Isabelle Lightwood who engaged in feminist philosophy... the world was getting weird, and she was sure it wasn't all her spinning head's fault.

Isabelle's interest was back with the movie, especially the parts where Katherine was increasingly seduced by Liz. When Leah went off to find Paul before the big fight, she laughed and asked: "Is she gonna fuck that guy specifically so Liz can't use her blood?"

"Well, she also seems to really like him, but yeah, pretty much."

"That is amazing. I love it. Although... I half wish she could have gone with Katherine instead. That girl needs a lover who's not evil."

"She'll get one," Maia said, which was a spoiler she really shouldn't have let slip. Her stomach was spinning almost as badly as her head, now, and she could feel the ice cream working its way back up."

"Will they have a threesome? Because that would just about make my day."

"No, they just..." Waiting any longer wasn't an option, she had to get to the bathroom. She stood up, quickly, which turned out to be a mistake. Unable to hold it in any longer, she threw up all over Isabelle.

After that, everything went black.

* * *

 **4\. Kirikou and the Sorceress**

Someone was talking to her. Two someones. A rich, warm voice, like stepping into a warm bath on a cold night, and a lighter one, like a gentle breeze. Maia didn't have the faintest idea what they were saying, but they meant safety, and care, and – _ow_ , her stomach hurt.

She whimpered quietly, and a hand pressed against her skin, sending pulses of heat in against the pain. With effort, she managed to crack her eyes open, but could see nothing but blue swirls that made her dizzy, and so she closed them again.

Next time she opened her eyes, the pain was gone, along with the voices, and whoever the voices had belonged to. Craning her head a little, she could see a figure sitting in the chair by the kitchenette door, reading a book. She blinked twice, just to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

"Magnus?"

"Oh, hi!" he said, closing the book and coming over. "Glad to see you awake! I thought I'd let you sleep for a while. I may have fixed up the wound, but it's always best to let the body rest when it can."

She touched her midriff. The bandage had been replaced with a much smaller one, and there was no pain when she pushed against it, only a mild discomfort. All the dizziness was gone too; she just felt exhausted, like after a long workout.

"It's been three days. What kind of demon venom takes that long to work?"

"Four days, now," he pointed out. "And the bacterial kind. One of the claws was stuck deep in the wound, it got infected."

"Seriously? They called in a warlock for something antibiotics could have sorted out?"

That was dead embarrassing, but Magnus didn't seem to mind. His eyes sparkled when he smiled at her, and his hand rested briefly against her forehead.

"Think of it as an extra tip for my favorite bartender."

"Thank you," she said, trying to infuse the simple words with all the gratitude she felt.

"You're welcome." He pulled the hand back. "Well, if you're feeling better I should probably call one of your packmates to take over."

"Don't go," she said, and then, "Do you want to watch a movie?"

What a thing to ask of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, who had a ton of duties and a brand-new boyfriend, and who had wasted far too much time on a simple demon scratch already. But after his initial blink of surprise, Magnus grinned.

"Of course, sugar plum. You've got anything particular in mind?"

She felt like a little kid, but in a good way. Maybe it was that feeling that made her say, " _Kirikou and the Sorceress_." Seeing his expression, she asked, "Not your thing?"

"Depends. Is this sorceress evil?"

"Yes," she admitted. "Well, no. To begin with. It's complicated."

"All right, I'll give it a shot," he said, brow still drawn.

Unlike the previous guests, he pulled up the chair to the head of the bed, rather than sitting down next to her on the bed itself. It could have been a way to mark distance, but felt more like a sign of respect.

"This was actually banned in the US for years," she told him when the film started. "Because of the nudity."

"Oh, no, think of the children," Magnus said drily. He raised his eyebrows slightly when Kirikou crawled out of his mother's womb and started speaking to her. "Precocious baby."

"Yeah, I think it's a folk hero thing, I've heard fairy tales like that." Remembering what kind of world she was living in now, Maia asked, "Or does it actually happen?"

" _Very_ rarely."

Maia would have expected Magnus, who was usually ready with a quick comment or an anecdote, to talk a lot during the film, but he turned out to fall into longer and more frequent silences than any of the others. He seemed to enjoy the experience, enraptured by Kirikou's many tricks and obstacles in defeating the sorceress.

Watching in silence, Maia discovered new things too, about the animation and storyline, despite having seen the film twice before, but above all about Magnus. She'd never had a chance to observe him like this before. The way his eyes welled up when the villagers gathered around Kirikou's lifeless body, even though it was pretty damned obvious that the protagonist wouldn't die halfway through. How he drank in the scenery, and gave a long, besotted smile at the animals Kirikou befriended.

He saw her looking and gave a half-shrug. "They're cute."

"Yeah, I know," she replied softly.

Kirikou made his way over to his grandfather and found out about the thorn in the sorceress' back, and Magnus sighed. "So she's evil because she's in pain. That's not the worst moral for children to learn, I suppose."

"Too bad it's not always true," Maia said, and it might have come out harsher than she had intended.

"Not always," he admitted. "Far from it. But it's one aspect to keep in mind."

His gaze was far away, and he barely seemed to notice the movie anymore, lost in thought of whatever incident from his long life. Then he snapped out of it and gave her an impish smile.

"I guess you were lucky, that the thorn in your flesh only gave you a bacterial infection."

"Ew," she said. "Yeah. Dodged a bullet there, I guess."

With the knowledge from his grandfather, Kirikou could heal the sorceress, and then promptly grew into an adult man who became her lover.

"That ending's a bit inappropriate," Magnus said as the credits started to roll. "He was a baby a moment ago."

"Isn't your boyfriend hundreds of years younger than you?" Maia teased.

"But still an adult. And I never knew him as a child."

"Does that make a difference?" she asked, curious.

"I think so," he said, pondering the answer as he replied. "Somehow, when you've known somebody a really long time, they never change in your mind. You may know, logically, that they're grown, even old, but on some level they'll always be the way they were when you first met. I think it works that way even for mortals. Or do you disagree?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never known anyone that long." Of course, there was her mother, and the dark pit in her gut that belonged to her brother, but neither one was someone she cared to think about.

"You will," he said.

She thought of the people in her life, the ones who would never grow old, like Simon and Magnus himself, and the ones who would. Luke. The pack. Her. Unless she got that robot body she'd joked about, of course.

"You know," she said, "Simon and I talked the other day about how we'd never seen a vampire with an old person. Someone who looked their age, I mean. Would you do it? Would you stay with someone after they'd grown old?"

"If he lives that long," Magnus said, "I'd consider it an honor."

She had been speaking in the hypothetical, but there was nothing hypothetical about his answer. Her first impulse was to tease him about having fallen hard, but there was sorrow in his eyes, at the future she'd brought up, and she didn't have the heart.

"I hope you get to," she said instead, gently.

Another thought struck her, and she asked, "Hey, do you think I could get Isabelle's phone number from Alec?"

"You can get it from me," Magnus said. "Why?"

"I ought to apologize. I kind of puked on her clothes."

"I know," Magnus said, reaching for her phone to punch the number in. "She was still in them when I came over the first time."

"She was the one who called you? I thought it was Luke."

"It was both of them, and terribly worried they were too." He handed the phone over. "Here you go."

Maia sent a text message: " _Thanks for calling Magnus. Sorry I puked on you. / Maia"_

It didn't take long for the phone to buzz in reply: " _No problem. Glad you're better. /Izzy"_ Seconds later, another message came through: " _Saw the rest of the film, hope you don't mind."_

" _Not at all. Did you like it?"_

" _Katherine/Ilona 333"_

Maia laughed and sent back: " _Hell yeah!"_

"Are you forgiven?" Magnus asked.

"I think so. Will you stay for another movie?"

"I wish I could, but I really should be getting back. Who should I call in for next shift?"

"I don't think I need round-the-clock care," she protested.

"Indulge me."

She thought about it, and given the choice, there couldn't really be another answer. "Do you think Luke is busy?"

"I think we're never too busy for our children." Magnus stroke her hair as he stood up. "I'll give him a call. Thanks for the film."

"Thanks... for everything."

He smiled. "In the words of another fierce young woman like you, I'm not responsible for everything. I just make it look that way."

* * *

A/N: These are the films Maia watches, in case you want to watch them yourself:

 _Love & Peace / _ラブ＆ピース, 2015, directed by Sion Sono

 _What We Do in the Shadows_ , 2014, directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

 _Chastity Bites_ , 2013, directed by John V. Knowles

 _Kirikou and the Sorceress / Kirikou et la Sorciére_ , 1998, directed by Michel Ocelot


End file.
